PK Smiles: Returned to Sender Unopened

 SPONSOR: www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-joe-ledford-03407421/  Lk 7: Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof but only say the word and I shall be healed. LK 7: A great prophet has arisen in our midst and God has visited his people.

I was at the grocery store the other day; just zipping in and out for some salad as I do...hmm... A LOT.

I noticed that my best bet for a hasty getaway was the self check-out lane. Never one to snub my nose at a D-I-Y opportunity, I slid right into the open space. I was moving hurriedly, out of fear/anticpation of general homosapien intolerance. It's been my experience that the other humans tend to get crabby when you take too long to check groceries out or pump gas or put your mascara on at a red light.

Right, my bad on that last one. Either way, everyone is in a collective mad rush here on the third rock. All day. Every day. No exceptions.

Sigh. It's exhausting just trying to keep up with the Joneses. They've gotten really competitive in these last few decades, Capisce?

Back in line, a little old man wearing an Ascot cap appeared behind me. I smiled. He did not. I quickened my pace. He crept toward me, little by little. I kept throwing out smiles. He kept smashing them back down my throat. Suddenly a woman from the next line over asked me a question.

I began to sweat as I felt the mini-man boring a hole into my left temple as if to say: "Answer her and DIE."

"Do I need a store card to check out?" she smiled. "Oh, no, I don't think so," I offered back cheerfully, out of friendly habit and forgetting the imaginary arrow pointed in the general direction of my carotid artery. 

"I'm not trying to hurry you BUT..." said FATHER I-have-no-TIME-for-frivolous-chatter. A stern scoff and glare followed. Oblivious, the kind stranger popped back over. "I'm sorry but apparently I DO need one and I'm not from around here. Do you mind if I borrow yours?" she said so pleasantly I wanted to hug her.

Torn between the crusty curmudgeon's grumpy glower and my desire to help a sweet gal in need, I ransacked my own purse like a thief and robbed myself of the store card at warp speed. "Here, here you go!" I said, flinging it at her with one hand and putting items into quickly ripping plastic bags with the other. "I'm sorry sir, I'm going as fast as I can!" I stammered as his solitary item of a large log of cheese crushed my fingers -- he'd already started scanning.

"Here, take your receipt!" he spat as he grabbed the curdled milk that matched his sour deMEANor. Ironically, it was HE who held ME up on the way out the door because, after all his huffing and puffing...well, the octogenarian couldn't move very quickly.

And, though I kinda wanted to return some of his acidity, I poured out a little sugar instead. I figured he may always be hurrying because it takes him twice as long to get places as it used to.

And, even though he sent it back unopened, I shot him over one last smile. #BePatient #BeKind #LoveOneAnother #Empathy #Pray #Peace 

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